Underneath the headline was a photo of Colin being escorted out of his house by two police officers. His hands were cuffed in front of him.
‘How did you get him?’ Erika asked.
‘Colin had been so confident of his plan to stage your car crash that he waited to call the emergency services until an hour after they took you to hospital. He’d told the operator that Cilla had an accident and fell down the stairs. The police who responded to the crash saw that the keys weren’t in your car, which made them question Colin’s version of events, that you drove away from his house after your visit. He’d pushed your car off in neutral with the engine switched off, but in his rush, the idiot forgot to put the keys in the ignition,’ said Peterson.
‘The police found your car keys on the floor in his office,’ said Moss. ‘When we searched the house, we found blood-stained clothes in a bin liner in his garage. The blood was Sophia’s. We also found Vicky Clarke’s notebooks and USB keys in his garage. They’re a treasure trove of information. She was very close to finding out it was Colin who carried out the assaults in the student halls.’
‘And since this has hit the headlines, more young women who auditioned at GDA have come forward to talk to the police,’ said Peterson.
‘Does this give the CPS enough to now take Colin to trial for the murder of Sophia and Vicky? And Cilla?’ asked Erika, her heart lifting at this news.
‘Yes. And he’ll be tried for your attempted murder, we’re making sure of that. Colin’s legal team are trying to argue we can’t prove a link between him and Sophia’s murder, he says that the blood-stained clothes were planted in his garage, but they now have his DNA in Vicky’s flat and the blood-stained clothes. They’ve just pulled another microscopic saliva sample off the bed frame of the sofa bed, and his DNA matches. And his DNA also matches the saliva on Vicky Clarke’s shoulder.’
‘Do we have any witnesses yet? Anyone who saw anything at Honeycomb Court? I have this horrible feeling he’s going to worm his way out of it.’
‘There has been another development,’ said Moss. ‘I told you we tracked down Lily Parkes. Well, we’ve interviewed her, and it turns out mathematics is not her strong suit.’
‘How do you mean?’
‘She went on record and told us she was coerced by Colin to sleep with Charles Wakefield aged fifteen, when she was still a minor. Anyway, the dates she gave us don’t match and it transpires that she was sixteen years old, almost seventeen, when she slept with him, not fifteen, as they led Charles to believe. So, although it’s still a rather disturbing concept, Charles wasn’t sleeping with someone underage in the eyes of the law. We’ve told him this, and he’s now willing to testify against Colin McCabe. He’s now saying that he caught Colin on a couple of occasions, attempting to break into the downstairs rooms of female students in Jubilee Road.’
‘Why did he keep it a secret? Why didn’t Charles report Colin when he found him?’ asked Erika.
‘We don’t know. Colin must have threatened him. Charles is mentally, very vulnerable.’
‘Will Charles get prison time for concealing evidence?’ asked Erika.
‘The CPS is looking to cut a deal, which will protect him, and Julian Wakefield.’
‘When do we think it will go to trial?’ asked Erika.
‘The CPS say they need six to eight months to build their case, so the autumn. Plenty of time for you to get back to full fitness,’ said Moss.
Erika suddenly felt relief and tiredness flood through her.
‘Maybe she needs to rest now,’ said Lenka, who had been sitting patiently in the corner, and had seen how tired Erika had become.
‘Do we know why Colin did it, why he stalked and attacked those women?’ asked Erika. Moss gave her a long look and then shrugged.
‘No. We think he did it, because he got off on it. It’s as simple, and disturbing as that. Erika nodded, and pushed the why away. She couldn’t dwell on why he did what he did. The most important thing was that they got him.
‘Thanks for coming, guys,’ she said, feeling pleased to see her colleagues. ‘And for the flowers.’
‘Everyone had signed the card,’ said Moss, ‘Isaac, and McGorry and Crane. They’re all asking about coming to see you. But for now, you rest. Just know that we got Colin McCabe, and we’re going to make sure he goes down for a long time.’
*
Five weeks later, on a cold, bright sunny December morning, Erika was discharged from hospital. It was the day before Christmas Eve, and Isaac came to pick her up. He had been a regular visitor during her stay, and she was recovering well, able to hobble small distances on her crutches. He helped her down to his car and drove her back to the new house. She was quiet on the journey and he asked her why she seemed sad.